Chris Sutton has aimed another dig at Rangers after their shock Scottish Premiership defeat away to Ross County over the weekend, as he looks to get a rise out of supporters once again.
Rangers suffer damaging defeat
Philippe Clement's side had the chance to close the gap at the top of the table on Celtic on Sunday, keeping destiny in their own hands at the same time. They fluffed their lines horribly, however, falling to a surprise 3-2 loss which could have been worse if not for a late James Tavernier penalty.
Having taken the lead in the first half, heading into half-time 1-0, things went badly wrong for Rangers, who suddenly found themselves 3-1 down and facing one of their most disappointing results of the season.
Cyriel Dessers
There was time for Tavernier to score a late consolation from the penalty spot, giving them faint hope of a last-gasp comeback, but the Gers were unable to find an equaliser during a frantic ending.
The defeat means that Rangers are now four points adrift of Celtic with only one game in hand, firmly handing their rivals an advantage in the Scottish Premiership title race, and there is now huge pressure to respond, starting with Wednesday night's trip to Dundee.
Sutton takes aim at Rangers again
Speaking on Sky Sports on Sunday [via Ibrox News], Sutton once again had a sly dig at Rangers, even though he admitted that their penalty was deserved on Sunday: "It’s the position of the arm. You could say it’s a little bit unlucky, but he jumps using his arms, his knee is up. I don’t think any of us are going to complain, we’re used to Rangers getting penalties."
This is just the latest example of Sutton looking to rile Rangers supporters, even if he has made far more controversial comments than this in the past. He can never prevent himself from taking a swipe, given his Celtic past, perhaps knowing that he has the knack of annoying Gers fans, and he has taken plenty of criticism from them recently.
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That came to the fore during the 3-3 draw at home to Celtic earlier this month, when Sutton's bias came across on Sky Sports commentary, leading to former Rangers midfielder and manager Graeme Souness hitting back on talkSPORT: "I can't believe how biased Chris is when he's talking about Rangers. He was saying 'it's embarrassing, it's not a penalty'.
"It was easily a penalty. It's not even a discussion to have for me that. And here's a question. Do VAR listen to the commentary for the game? Because I'm thinking 'Chris is going that strong here he's trying to influence whoever is listening maybe in the VAR.'"
Clement could now ditch 3/10 Rangers man after County disaster
Clement must have a clear out of his squad in the summer…
Tottenham Hotspur avoided a fourth straight loss as they held Manchester City to a 3-3 draw at The Etihad on Sunday in the Premier League.
Spurs have gone 1-0 up in each of the last four games but this was the first match that they were able to come away with a point from.
Ange Postecoglou's side has been hit with a host of injury and suspension issues that have caused a drastic slide in form, after going unbeaten over the opening ten league games of the campaign.
The likes of Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, and Manor Solomon, among others, were all unavailable for selection.
Maddison, in particular, has been a miss after starting the season with three goals and five assists in 11 Premier League appearances, having joined from Leicester City over the summer.
However, they were able to secure a fantastic point, that could have been all three, thanks to goals from Heung-min Son, Gio Lo Celso, and Dejan Kulusevski.
The final and equalising goal from Kulusevski was a fantastic moment for Postecoglou and Spurs as the Sweden international showed great determination to beat Nathan Ake in the air and inadvertently used his shoulder to find the top corner of Ederson's goal.
Van de Ven and Romero have been huge absentees from the Spurs backline as full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal have been tasked with keeping things tight, which is something that they have been unable to do.
However, defensive problems are not solely caused, or solved, by central defenders or full-backs, as you defend as a team and one of Postecoglou's midfielders failed to play their part – Yves Bissouma.
The Mali international lost the midfield battle and allowed players to bypass him far too easily as City seemed to create chances at will in spells throughout the game.
The central midfielder was worse than makeshift centre-back Davies, who struggled at times but also had some strong defensive moments.
Ben Davies' performance against Manchester City in numbers
The central defender, who is a natural left-back, was left isolated at times during the first half as Pedro Porro failed to provide him with sufficient protection against Jeremy Doku.
eric-dier-ben-davies-tottenham-opinion
This allowed the impressive Belgian wizard to cause constant problems with his pace and dribbling ability. There was one particular chance where the forward faced up Davies in the box and was able to dictate the situation with ease before firing an excellent shot against the crossbar.
The Wales international struggled to deal with the pace of City's frontline at times but also showcased some of his strong defensive attributes.
Davies won 100% (4/4) of his duels throughout the match, including both of his battles on the deck and both of his aerial contests, as he displayed his strength against the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
The left-footed enforcer made five clearances, one tackle, and one interception across the 90 minutes as he made a number of impressive interventions, one of which led to him winning the ball off Haaland to initiate the move that Kulusevski scored from.
However, there is no getting away from the fact that City did create 2.64 xG (Expected Goals) worth of chances and Davies was part of that defence.
To his credit, the Welsh titan did work hard to prevent the hosts from creating even more opportunities to put the game to bed before Spurs were able to equalise.
And he was far from the worst performer on the pitch, which is an unwanted title that could be awarded to Bissouma after his poor showing in the middle of the park.
Yves Bissouma's performance against Manchester City in numbers
The central midfielder had a howler against City as he struggled throughout the game and failed to make an impact in or out of possession.
He returned to the starting XI after being suspended for the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last time out and was tasked with controlling the game in the engine room for Tottenham.
Bissouma was unable to do that as City's players got the better of him far too often throughout the game, and he did not showcase the best of his qualities.
Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma.
He did complete 88% of his 48 attempted passes but they were not of much consequence for Spurs as the midfielder did not create a single chance for his teammates and failed to consistently break past City's press.
The worst moment of his performance was a huge one in the match as his sloppy play in possession allowed Manchester City to win the ball back on the edge of the box.
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Bissouma was unable to find his way past several Cityzens forwards and then lost out to Rodri in a 50/50 challenge, which allowed the Spaniard to tee up Erling Haaland, who then rolled the ball across to Jack Grealish for him to slot in what could have been the winning strike without Kulusevski's subsequent intervention.
Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma.
Jamie Carragher, who was on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports' coverage of the match, described it as an "absolutely stupid" piece of play from the former Brighton man.
Elite teams, such as City, will punish silly errors at the back and Spurs may wonder what could have been if they had not given away such a cheap goal.
Off the ball, Bissouma's performance also left a lot to be desired. He lost five of his eight ground duels and only made one tackle to win the ball back, along with zero interceptions.
The Mali international has averaged 4.6 tackles and interceptions combined per match in the Premier League this season, which shows that his return of one against City was a significant drop off from his usual defensive output.
FootballLondon reporter Alasdair Gold gave him a match rating of 4/10 and described his performance as a 'sloppy' one, which is backed up by the aforementioned statistics.
His contributions, or lack thereof at times, on and off the ball left far too much to be desired as the central midfielder had a howler against the reigning champions.
Postecoglou will now be hoping that Bissouma is back to his reliable best when they host West Ham United in midweek on Thursday night.
Leeds United need additional recruits, and they need them fast. However, they should not sacrifice speed and quantity over the quality of their potential new signings…
Who are Leeds United signing this summer?
As such, the main goal will to be avoid the expensive mistakes of the past that have led to their miserable relegation. There is a reason why many frustrations surround the tenure of Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta.
High-profile signings with clearly little thought process behind them saw the pair often pick a bigger name over a more intelligent acquisition, and it left them in the lurch with a squad unsuitably bolstered.
Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…
Few embody such a failure more than Junior Firpo, who joined from Barcelona in 2021 and has failed to live up to his reputation.
This should mark a cautionary tale for the new ownership and Daniel Farke, and yet reports from earlier in the window did link them with another star from Camp Nou, Abde Ezzalzouli.
Whilst there is every chance the young star would thrive at Elland Road, there is far from enough form to suggest that it would be worth the gamble if they still indeed retain their interest a few months on.
Who is Abde Ezzalzouli?
Having only enjoyed brief stints of senior football, the 21-year-old wide man has shone at times during his short career thus far, earning himself a switch to the Catalan giants.
Whilst that is often a mark of a true talent, there have been plenty of failures to join La Masia and not make it to the top.
However, there is reason to believe that the 5 foot 11 youngster could do, with pace and trickery in abundance. Especially given he added to this four goals and two assists in La Liga last term whilst on loan at Osasuna.
This clearly caught the attention of Xavi too, who handed him 45 minutes in their opening-day score draw with Getafe. The Spanish boss even praised him back in 2021: "Abde is a dagger, a marvel, a surprise. It is great news but I already said that it is also the negative that young people are the ones who stand out the most."
However, Ezzalzouli's career has not been wholly successful, with the 2021/22 season only bringing one La Liga goal all year.
Abde-Ezzalzouli
Such an investment could prove disastrous, should he fail to continue his upward trajectory in a similar way that Firpo did not.
The 26-year-old has only spent two years at Elland Road, and neither campaign has been worthy of his £12.8m price tag and £60k-per-week wage.
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His debut term saw the Dominican Republic international post a 6.60 average Sofascore match rating, with the defender emulating such disappointing figures with a 6.55 average rating the following season. Those numbers ensured he ranked as the 22nd-best player in the squad last term and as low as the 23rd-best the season prior.
This was especially frustrating given how highly praised he was, with former teammate Marc Bartra noting: "He is a player who has shown that he has a lot of potential, quality and the ability of being in the right place at the right time."
Pundit Paul Robinson essentially summed up his Leeds career though, lambasting the former Real Betis star for his poor defensive efforts: "Kulusevski picked the ball up in the corner, he was one-on-one with Firpo. All the defender had to do was put in a simple tackle. It is terrible, schoolboy defending. Inexcusable."
Given that Firpo was arguably at a much higher level than Ezzalzouli is currently when he signed, and the failure that has ensued, perhaps Farke could heed this warning issued by Orta's failure and steer clear of the Barcelona outcast if an opportunity emerges to sign him.
An update has emerged on Everton and their plans to improve their options in the final third heading into the summer transfer window…
What's the latest on Yuri Alberto to Everton?
According to GOAL, the Toffees are eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Corinthians centre-forward Yuri Alberto ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The report claims that the club are considering whether or not to make an official offer to land the Brazilian forward's signature, but there has not been any contact between the two teams as of yet.
It is stated that Everton remaining in the Premier League has helped their cause and that Sean Dyche's side has the financial power to make moves in the market.
Who is Yuri Alberto?
He is a 22-year-old Brazil international who is valued at £11m by Football Transfers and his arrival would be terrible news for Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The England international scored a stunning 29 Premier League goals across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns combined, but his form has fallen off a cliff over the last two years.
Since the start of 2021/22, Calvert-Lewin has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 34 appearances in the top flight – including two in 17 this term.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
In the current season, the 26-year-old averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 across 17 appearances in the league and contributed with two goals and one assist, with a pass success rate of 61%.
Meanwhile, Alberto averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 and provided eight goals and one assist in 20 outings in the Brasileiro Serie A in 2022 and completed 68% of his attempted passes.
The former Santos man, who was hailed as "dangerous" and "powerful" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has plundered 30 goals in 94 Serie A matches throughout his career to date.
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These statistics show that the ace, who is four years younger than the Everton striker, has the potential to be a reliable goalscorer for the Toffees if he can adapt to playing in English football as the finisher has proven himself in the top-flight in Brazil.
Calvert-Lewin, on the other hand, did not make big contributions for the Toffees in the top flight in England and was a liability for the team as the striker did not score or assist enough and gave the ball away too often with his loose passes.
This indicates that Alberto has the quality to come in as an upgrade on the England international and this would, therefore, be terrible news for the ex-Sheffield United man as it could lead to him being the second-choice striker and sitting on the bench week-in-week-out.
Newcastle United were offered Jorginho during the January transfer window before his eventual departure on deadline day.
What’s the latest?
The Toon did not bring in any midfielders over the course of the January transfer window but it seems as if there were some options potentially on their radar.
Eddie Howe’s side were linked with the likes of Sander Berge over the final days of the window and it is believed they held an interest in Conor Gallagher.
Adding to their desire to bring in a new midfielder, Howe saw the 30-year-old, Jonjo Shelvey, leave the club for Nottingham Forest.
But speaking on the True Faith podcast, journalist Craig Hope has claimed they were offered the new Arsenal midfielder, Jorginho, by his intermediaries.
He said: “Jorginho was offered to them, again, by intermediaries. Now, there was people within the club who I think were for the Jorginho deal – they saw the sense in it.
“I don’t think Eddie was. Just didn’t think he had the legs to get around in terms of that sort of high-energy pressing style he wants from his midfielders.”
Missing out on experience?
The Italian is a player who would certainly have been able to arrive on Tyneside and provided an awful lot of experience at the highest level to Howe’s midfield.
Jorginho has racked up trophies.
However, it appears as if this is a player who Howe was not keen to bring to St. James’ Park.
Although Bruno Guimaraes has provided the Toon with more shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, the Italian has offered more tackles and passes per 90 minutes (via FBref).
So perhaps this is a player who could have come into Newcastle and provided them with another option as a holding midfielder following Shelvey’s departure.
And he is a player who has been on the end of some big praise from the likes of Jose Mourinho who had the following to say back in 2019:
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“For me, Jorginho is the best midfielder in Europe. The way he controls the game, how he recycles the ball in the transitions between attack and defence. His ability on the ball when he is under pressure is amazing.”
However, he would have done so on a big weekly salary of £110k which would have seen him become one of the highest earners at the club.
And it seems as if the Italian did not exactly impress in the 31-minute appearance at Goodison Park with journalist Sean Walsh only awarding him with a 5/10 rating after the game.
Given this was a position that Newcastle were keen to strengthen last month, it does show the trust put in Howe’s judgement when there were others inside the club who would have approved the potential deal.
Celtic have no doubt enjoyed notable success during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure thus far, although one worrying trend that has emerged in recent times has been seeing a handful of the club’s young talents poached by Premier League sides.
The Parkhead giants have seen both Leo Hjelde and Rory Mahady join Leeds United in the space of the last 18 months, while arguably the greatest loss has been that of Scotland U21 international, Ben Doak.
The highly-rated 17-year-old was snapped up by Liverpool earlier this year having risen up through the Hoops’ youth ranks, with the winger quickly making his mark at Anfield with eight goals and six assists at academy level this season, including four goals and four assists in just six UEFA Youth League games.
The Dalry-born sensation has even made his debut at senior level for the Merseysiders after featuring off the bench in the Carabao Cup triumph over Derby County last month, having been lauded as an ‘exciting prospect’ by former Bhoys hero, Kenny Dalglish.
The “fearless” youngster – as described by journalist Barry Anderson – has already left those back at Celtic Park ruing their inability to keep him in Glasgow, with it looking as if the Reds’ starlet will go on to enjoy a bright future in English football.
For Postecoglou and co, the hope will be to avoid seeing another promising talent follow Doak out the door, with the Scottish champions likely already sweating regarding the long-term future of teenage ace, Rocco Vata.
Recent reports have claimed that the 17-year-old has caught the attention of both Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as the likes of AC Milan, Juventus and Roma, as a result of his sparkling form of late.
The Ireland youth international – who is the son of former Celtic and Albania defender Rudi Vata – has arguably been the star attraction for the club’s ‘B’ team this season, with the versatile forward having scored eight goals and recorded one assist in just 14 Lowland League outings.
That impact has come after the playmaker was included as part of the first-team squad for the trip to Austria in pre-season, while he was more recently part of the travelling party for the Sydney Super Cup voyage.
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The Hamilton-born menace will again have a chance to impress Postecoglou after earning his place in the squad for the warm-weather training camp in Portugal alongside fellow youngster Bosun Lawal, with the title-winning coach hoping to increase the duo’s “exposure” to life at first-team level.
A player with a “killer attitude” who could go right “to the top”, in the words of ‘B’ team coach Darren O’Dea, Vata will certainly be one who could well make the step up from the youth set-up sooner rather than later.
Alternatively, it would also be no surprise if that interest from the Premier League’s big boys ultimately leads to an exit from Paradise for the player, with Postecoglou and co likely dreading a repeat of the Doak scenario.
Liverpool have been struggling to find their form over the season so far with a number of fitness issues in the squad, and now a new injury update has emerged.
What’s the latest?
According to The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce on Thursday, Naby Keita is, unfortunately, suffering from a serious hamstring injury following his absence from the squad over the season so far.
That followed initial suggestions from Pearce who, speaking in his Q&A after the defeat in Naples, said: “The fact he’s not in the CL squad means it has to be serious.”
However, there have been contrasting reports on the condition of the midfielder as he was named in Guinea’s international squad for the international break later this month.
It will give Klopp a headache
There is no doubt that the situation surrounding Keita will be giving Jurgen Klopp a big headache whilst trying to deal with the ongoing issues in the team following a string of embarrassing performances that continued in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Liverpool took a 4-1 battering from Napoli, the worst result by an English team in the opening fixture of a Champions League campaign since Arsenal in 2003/04.
As a result, the German coach will surely be frustrated with his team and Keita’s injury only adds insult to injury for the Reds as their fitness problems have piled up over the last few weeks.
Jordan Henderson, Fabio Carvalho, Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones have all been struck with fitness issues and thus, Klopp’s mounting problems in that area of the pitch will certainly be giving him a headache when you combine it with their poor results this term.
It was reported before the transfer window closed that Keita was unhappy at the club and was not prepared to sign an extension with the midfielder in the last 12 months of his contract, which left a question mark over his absence in the squad when the season started.
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That being said, if Pearce’s analysis of his current injury problems are true, it begs more questions as to why he has been selected to play for his country when the international fixtures kickstart in less than two weeks’ time and if he is fit to play for Guinea why was he omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League squad? It’s something of a headscratcher, not just for Klopp, but for the entire fanbase at Anfield.
With that being said, it remains to be seen if Keita will start for Guinea when they play Algeria on the 23rd of September and should he play for his national team, concern surrounding his future in Merseyside will surely escalate further.
An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their plans to bring in a new forward in the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
Express reporter Ryan Taylor has suggested that they are more likely to go for Leeds star Raphinha than Everton’s Richarlison in the coming weeks.
Fabio Paratici is looking to add to Antonio Conte’s attacking unit and Taylor believes that the former Rennes magician is the main target.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think Spurs are edging slightly more towards Raphinha at the moment.
“I think if you look at Richarlison’s profile, my personal view is he’s mainly better centrally and if you look at Tottenham’s side, he won’t have many opportunities through the middle. Outside of that, he sometimes plays off the left, and Son plays there as well.”
Supporters will be excited
Spurs supporters will be excited by this claim as Raphinha would be a sublime addition to Conte’s squad for the 2022/23 campaign.
Since arriving in England, the Whites gem has scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in the Premier League – including 11 goals last term – whilst playing out wide on the right.
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In that time, Richarlison has managed 17 goals and eight assists whilst playing on the left and through the middle as a centre-forward.
This means that Raphinha has been more productive than him in the final third, despite the Everton man spending time as a number nine, and this suggests that he would be the better signing.
There is little between them in terms of their scope for development. They are both 25 and heading toward the peak years of their respective careers, which means that they would both come in with the potential to improve in the years to come.
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Therefore, it should be a matter of current ability and suitability for the team. Taylor explained why Raphinha suits Tottenham’s team more than Richalison and the statistics suggest that the Leeds man is also the better player with his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis from out wide.
The Spurs supporters will be excited by the prospect of the ex-Ligue 1 attacker coming through the door as he will provide another big attacking threat in the final third. He can support the likes of Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski to form a mouth-watering attack in the top-flight next season.
AND in other news: Conte could land Spurs masterclass in deal for “explosive” £30m gem, he’s Foden-esque…
Celtic will be playing Europa League football this season after they were beaten 3-2 on penalties by Kairat Almaty in the Champions League play-off clash on Tuesday night.
The Hoops had drawn 0-0 at Parkhead last week, failing to make the most of home advantage, and then failed to get the job done in normal time or extra-time away from home, which led to a loss on penalties.
Adam Idah, Luke McCowan, and Daizen Maeda all missed from the spot for Brendan Rodgers, and it will not have done Idah’s confidence any good after a disappointing start to the season.
Why this will knock Adam Idah's confidence
The Ireland international is yet to get off the mark with a goal this term. In four games in all competitions, the former Norwich City marksman has missed three ‘big chances’ and failed to register a goal or an assist for the team.
He has not proven that he has what it takes to be the main number nine for Celtic as a regular starter, and this latest performance against Kairat will not have helped his confidence.
In his defence, though, his performance after coming off the bench before the penalty shoot-out was not horrendous. He created two chances for his teammates and won two of his three aerial battles to provide an outlet for the team, per Sofascore, but then the striker missed from the spot in the shoot-out.
Performance in Numbers
Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.
Despite his penalty miss, though, Idah was not the worst performer for the Hoops on the night. One other player who should be dropped from the team because of their showing is Hyun-jun Yang.
Why Rodgers must drop Yang for Celtic
Rodgers must ruthlessly ditch the South Korea international from the starting XI for the clash with Rangers on Sunday because he put in a poor display on Tuesday evening.
The 23-year-old winger was selected to play off the left flank for the Scottish Premiership giants, with Maeda through the middle and James Forrest on the right, and failed to do enough on or off the ball to impress.
Yang played the opening 70 minutes of the match and did not register a single shot or goal, nor did he create a single chance for his teammates at the top end of the pitch. Whereas, as aforementioned, Idah created two chances for the side after he came off the bench.
Vs Kairat (A)
Hyun-jun Yang
Adam Idah
Minutes
70
50
Dribbles completed
1/3
0/0
Pass accuracy
61%
77%
Key passes
0
2
Duels won
3/15
2/6
Duel success rate
20%
33%
Possession lost
20x
7x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the South Korean flop performance was even worse than Idah’s in general play before the penalty shoot-out miss from the striker, as he performed worse in duels, gave the ball away way more, and was less creative.
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The Hoops winger did not offer anywhere near enough in any phase of the game to justify his continued inclusion in the starting XI, particularly with a clash against Rangers away from home in their next match in the Premiership.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha is reportedly closing in on a move to Celtic from Royal Antwerp to bolster Rodgers’ options on the flanks, and this means that the manager may have another player to pick from on Sunday.
With this in mind, the Northern Irish boss should ruthlessly drop Yang from the line-up after his dismal showing on Tuesday, to potentially throw Balikwisha in at the deep end this weekend.
Idah upgrade: Celtic set to make offer for "incredibly prolific" £5m star
Celtic are reportedly preparing to make an offer for a star who would b an upgrade on Adam Idah.
Arsenal may not have won the Premier League this season, but Mikel Arteta’s squad still have it all to play for in the Champions League.
Though Paris Saint-Germain left the Emirates Stadium with a slender one-goal advantage in midweek, the Gunners have the quality and confidence to create something special at the Parc des Princes.
Arsenal manager MikelArteta
Some questionable officiating aside, Arsenal know the crux of their issues this season lies with the failure to provide Arteta with an elite-level striker.
Injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz in the new year sapped the Londoners’ strength at number nine, calling for an unconventional but curiously effective stopgap in Mikel Merino.
However, Arsenal need a permanent solution, one which could ease the talismanic burden Bukayo Saka wears around his neck.
Bukayo Saka's season in numbers
To be fair, Saka wears the weight of responsibility rather well, having maintained a confident stream of goals and assists through the campaign while producing influential and energetic performances.
But this only draws to attention the yawning hole at number nine, with a prolific centre-forward certain to take the England international’s game to the next level.
Saka, 23, has scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists for Arsenal this season. The three-month hamstring injury picked up in December has proved the biggest blow to his side’s campaign; Saka’s back now, but he’s still not at his sharpest.
Nonetheless, the winger’s return has restored a deeper degree of balance and fluency that must be allowed to bloom into something truly world-class next season, and a more clinical attacking partner than one of Havertz or Jesus will ensure that happens.
As per FBref, Arsenal’s starboy ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for goal-creating actions and the top 5% for crosses made per 90.
This man is a striker’s dream, and new sporting director Andrea Berta is ready to reward him with one of the finest centre-forwards out there.
Arsenal in talks to sign top striker
We all know Alexander Isak’s the dream. But Isak is going to cost more than £150m to convince Newcastle United to sell, and this would likely prove beyond any interested party’s means.
Instead, Berta is pushing to seal the signing of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, several talks have already taken place, with the Liga Portugal champions looking for no more than €70m (about £60m) to get a deal done.
Sporting CP's ViktorGyokerescelebrates scoring their third goal to complete his hat-trick
Arsenal are confident they can get a deal done, but with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United also keen, they will need to act swiftly.
What Viktor Gyokeres would bring to Arsenal
Isak has been described as “the best striker in the Premier League” this season by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, but he’s not the only deadly goalscorer on the market.
In fact, Gyokeres has the complete take on the centre-forward role and could make it his own at the front of Arteta’s system.
Sporting CP's ViktorGyokeres
The 6 foot two star’s technical quality, physicality and hunger for success have been hallmarks of his journey in Portugal, scoring 95 goals from 98 matches and winning last season’s Liga Portugal title before being crowned the division’s Player of the Year.
This level of surety in the final third is something that Arsenal have lacked across the campaign, and by instating Gyokeres in the focal role, Saka would finally have the reliable outlet from which he could direct his peerless playmaking ability.
Viktor Gyokeres – Past Five Seasons (all comps)
Club
Apps (starts)
Goals
Assists
24/25 – Sporting
48 (40)
52
12
23/24 – Sporting
50 (47)
43
15
22/23 – Coventry
50 (47)
22
12
21/22 – Coventry
47 (42)
18
5
20/21 – Coventry
19 (7)
3
0
20/21 – Swansea
12 (2)
1
0
Stats via Transfermarkt
Talk about year-on-year growth. Gyokeres, 26, has yet to make his mark in one of Europe’s recognised top-five leagues but his numbers leave little to the imagination in the best way, especially since he’s only missed 43 big chances across his past three league terms, as per Sofascore, scoring 88 times.
Havertz has his strengths, but he’s not clinical. In the Premier League this season, the German has missed 15 big chances, converting nine strikes. The 28-year-old Jesus, meanwhile, has not been available often enough to warrant Arteta’s trust as his first-choice option.
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There’s no doubt Saka is among the finest players in world football, but his game is being impeded by the absence of a partner like Gyokeres. With 20 big chances created in the Premier League this season, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has more – and having played plenty more minutes at that.
Injury pulled from Saka the chance to immortalise his name in the Premier League’s playmaking record books, but the Three Lions sensation’s electric start to the 2024/25 season remains a welcome reminder of the level of player Arsenal have on their hands.
Moreover, it’s an arresting lever Arteta wields in convincing a player of Gyokeres’ ilk that the Emirates project is the best place for him to go from strength to strength and hit the next level in his incredible journey.
Of course, any natural goalscorer would find their game enhanced alongside Arsenal’s main man, but the Sweden star is “the hottest striker in Europe,” according to ESPN’s Mark Ogden, and the partnership might just be something that fixes the issues that have plagued the north London side’s season.
Having come agonisingly close in recent years, this would be a signing to complete the craft and finally establish Arsenal as the continent’s team to beat.
It’s not over yet; Arsenal may yet find themselves fighting for the Champions League trophy after turning it around against PSG, but in any case, Gyokeres would turn a great team into an unstoppable force.
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